Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise

Previewed 5 April 2005, Opened 6 April 2005, Closed 30 April 2005 at the Criterion Theatre in London

Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise is a powerful celebration of 10 years of freedom in South Africa featuring the real lives and experiences of the actors on stage, sharing stories of South Africa and apartheid.

Created from the real life experiences of the five black South Africans in the cast and interwoven with song, music and prayer, Amajuba provides a truthful, humorous, moving and intimate portrayal of growing up in South Africa and is a celebration of the extraordinary ability of the human spirit to rise above adversity.

After touring extensively, including a season last year at the Barbican in London, Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise comes into London's West End for a strictly limited eight week season.

"Mime, singing, dance and dialect - a Xhosa lament here, a Setswana prayer there - combine in a vibrant staging by Yael Farber... The programme flags the fact that the script is 'based on the real-life experiences of the cast'. Notices reiterating this are posted around the theatre. Yet there's a self-conscious theatricality that can work against the authenticity of the recollections, with the most harrowing stories calculatedly saved to last... The performers and their a cappella singing still sweep you along to the protracted, uplifting climax. It's hard not be moved even when Amajuba is less like a play and more like a therapeutic testimonial." The Times

Amajuba in London at the Criterion Theatre previewed from 5 April 2005, opened on 6 April 2005 and closed on 30 April 2005.